Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has commended his teammates for exhibiting fighting spirit against Bayern Munich, urging them to show more of it and in regular intervals to get out of their ongoing slump.
The Red Devils traveled to the Allianz Arena for their UEFA Champions League Group A opener against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night (September 20). They showed good spirit in the final stretch of the game but ultimately fell short, succumbing to a 4-3 defeat. It marked United’s third consecutive defeat in all competitions.
Fernandes Wants Manchester United To Show More Spirit
After the game, Manchester United skipper Fernandes lauded his team for putting up a fight against the German champions and urged them to be on the boil for the entire 90. The Portugal star said (via The Mirror):
“The positive is that the spirit, the fighting spirit, was there. We tried.
“It wasn’t still enough to win the game, or to get something from the game, but at periods, the team showed great spirit. But we have to do it more often and for 90 minutes.”
Erik ten Hag went to Germany without 12 of his players, but Fernandes refused to use it as an example, saying the Red Devils had enough players to pop up with a response.
He added:
“Obviously, we want to have everyone back because we know that as many players we have available, the team will be stronger. And obviously more options for the manager to do his choices and whatever his tactics, the first 11 or whatever he picks. But obviously, still, we have the players and we have enough experience and enough talent in the team to get through this moment.
“We know it’s tough but I think the team has enough players to get a response. I think what everyone has to do is to do their own job and look at themselves first. That’s what I do as a player, not as a captain – as a person.”
Fernandes Encourages Andre Onana After Rocky Night
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana had a night to forget in Germany. He spilled Leroy Sane’s relatively tame shot into his own net in the 28th minute, which set the tone for the rest of the game. Fernandes, however, refused to be hard on Onana and called him an excellent keeper.
The skipper concluded by saying:
“Andre is a great goalkeeper. He will keep giving us a lot of points, a lot of saves. He hasn’t to take any blame. We have to take the blame as a team. We’re going to go through this moment together because we are strong as a team.”
Eager to end their losing streak, Fernandes’ United will return to action with a clash against Burnley on Saturday (September 23).
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